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Bosch vs. DLX

February 7, 2012 - 8:56am

bdatxmama

Bosch vs. DLX

Hi, I am looking for some advice, I have read numerous accounts on this website about the Bosch and DLX and I have had a hard time making my decision on which to purchase. It seems you are either a Bosch Universal Plus lover or a DLX lover. I really need someone who has owned both at some point and what the pros and cons are (it has to be someone who has owned the current bosch as the old one is slightly different in its design when it comes to cleaning). I am planning on making bread with this item, as well as cookies and possibly cakes, using freshly ground ww. I have burnt up my KA twice now and do not really want to pay to have repaired, as it cannot handle the load of ww flour I use in it. Also, I understand that the old Bosch had all plastic parts/gears and have not been able to find out if the current one is the same. Pls. e-mail me with your comments at vintoniii@phreego.com .

I have already killed one KitchenAid Pro 600 and am about to kill the 2nd one. Motor is fine, but the gears keep going. I was thinking about the new KitchenAid 7 qt commercial, but I am afraid the same thing would happen. The last time I took the mixer in to get repaired, the repairman told me to stop making bread with it. However, I'm not doing anything that KitchenAid says I cannot do. My second warranty is up, so I'm out of options.

I too have worn out several KA mixers. Got the Bosch Compact for small batches, and it worked very well until I broke it on a batch of brioche dough. Got the larger Bosch. It had lots of power, but the shape of the double doughhook just didn't get the job done. It did not develop bread dough at all. I finally gave the thing away in disgust. Got much better results with the KA mixers...until they broke. I have now purchased a Haussler Alpha mixer and it works very well...but it is very expensive. Had to order it from Germany. I don't know what the answer is, but I have not found a "home" mixer that does a good job and doesn't break.

I ordered Haussler direct from the company in Germany. They were very responsive. All done in English. Bowl can be removed for cleaning. Dough hook too. I believe it just comes with dough hook. It's much larger than 5 quarts. I would guess that it could handle three or four times what a 5 quart mixer can handle. I don't know anything about the 10A. The Alpha was about 1580 Euros, plus shipping.

We recently purchased a Bosch Universal Plus (the new one) for Christmas, and I've been very happy about the way it develops the dough. I haven't tried a one-loaf batch yet, but it does two with no problems. We use freshly ground whole wheat flour. (BTW, we purchased a KA 600 Pro about 5 years ago, but I was terrified to use it for bread dough and am now selling it in mint condition, even though it has a metal gear box.)

The DLX was also a top contender for us, and it was a tough decision. I think we finally decided that for an all-around mixer that was also great at making bread dough, the Bosch was an unquestionably solid choice, whereas the DLX seemed just a bit more "fiddly." (Although I know dedicated DLX owners will beg to differ with that statement.) There is also quite a price difference between them.

For a very thorough, in-depth research experience, you might want to check out the mixer-owners group on Yahoo. There are many discussions on the merits of both mixers that go back years. I found those very helpful during the decision process. A few of the posters there have both mixers and have shared their experiences/likes and dislikes regarding both. The Bread Beckers' website also has demos of both being used, which might be helpful.

When it comes down to it, they're both terrific mixers. If I ever found a used DLX at an estate sale or someplace like the Goodwill, it would be hard to pass it up. A lot of things about them appeal to me. I do think we would have been happy with one of them, too.

FWIW, you might also want to check out the Bosch Compact. Folks who have it really seem to love it. It can handle 6 lbs of dough and runs circles around a KA in terms of strength and durability (and costs less!) It's very cleverly designed. If we'd purchased one of those five years ago, I'm pretty sure the mixer choice would have been a moot issue. Never would have needed to find an alternative!

I have been looking into the Bosch Universal plus, from what I see the mixing on smaller batches seems to be an issue, and hearing it can be a pain to clean, so back to the Bosch Compact power and gear head durability, 400 watts max on the Bosch Compact, now the KA mixers go up to 600 watts, does that not mean the KA will have more power, will mixing dough balls in the 5lb range wear down the Bosch Compact as it does the KA gear heads on the KA brand, I am just not thrilled with the dough hook design on the Plus, I agree that the Compact model would mix the dough more thouroughly. will the Bosch Compact handle 10 cups of brea flour. are parts available for them if needed.

Watt ratings are just marketing drivel. Remember that the old Hobart built Kitchenaids that many people are still using 20+ years later were rated for 300 watts.

From all I know, I'm pretty sure the compact can handle 10 lbs of bread flour. I can say for sure that the service is excellent. I bought a Bosch Compact mixer for my mother back in 2008. She rarely used it, and when she moved in with me recently I tried the Compact out and found that it wasn't functioning properly. I called in and was surprised to hear that the problem will be fixed under warranty.

I know you wanted to hear from someone who had owned both machines, but I can tell you why I chose the DLX over the Bosch. I too have a kitchen aid 600, haven't worn it out yet, but I wanted to get something before I ruined a good machine that I might sell while it still works (I haven't decided what I will do with it to be honest). I'm no professional baker, but I do really enjoy it and hope to move on to more artisan quality bread.

So, anyways, my decision. I talked to the people who work at Pleasant Hill Grain, and they love the Bosch, and had me convinced that that was the machine for me. But then I found on www.breadforlife.net/bosch.htm , a really good comparison about the inside of the machines. According to them, the DLX is more metal, less (or no) plastic. Also it's much quieter, based on youtube video's I've seen, than the Bosch.

Since I've had it, I've made between one and three pound loaves, and pizza dough with 3 1/2 cups flour. I've made muffins and cake and frosting. It's lovely to be able to have the freedom of an open work bowl. It's so easy to dump ingredients in. It did a much nicer job at creaming butter and sugar than the kitchen aid, although I did need to stop it twice and scrape the butter out of the roller, though I think if I had let it go long enough on a higher speed, the centrifugal force would have forced it out, eventually.

It really truly is quieter than my KA 600. Hands down. I wish the instruction book was better, but it's kinda dumb. I studied the video on www.breadbeckers.com and watched how they use it.

I hope the bread for life website helps. It's mainly what swayed me. I think both are great machines. I was blessed enough to be able to put together the cash to buy either, and I've fallen in love with the DLX. I'm sure it will take some time for me to really get the feel for it, but it's more about the dough coming out good, and I know a lot of serious bread heads use it and make some great bread. My next big adventure will be bagels, so we'll see how that goes.

Good luck! It's very frustrating not being able to go to a store and look at them before ordering. The closest I could find was in the Bronx, so I just decided to order mine from Pleasant Hill Grain, because they've given such good service for other things, plus anything over $99 ships for free.

I have decided on the DLX. Thank you for all you info. on how your machine is working, I appreciate that very much. My dilemna now is whether I should purchase the older model n28 which is cheaper or go w. the newer model n30 which costs a little more. I was told that I should go w. the newer model. Thanks again, for your wonderful comments!!!!

FWIW, I bought an old N22, and it's SOLID. Only thing was, as it was 20 years old, it needed a new logic board for proper speed control.

My point is, a new N28 would probably be fine - long lasting & robust. I'm not aware of any major updates to these machines over the years, an don't know the difference between an N28 and an N30. The basic good design of these machines hasn't changed in a substantive way over years and years (much like the good ol' Hobart N50).

Loaflady, that was a very good reply! You were exactly in the same place we were a few months ago, but we hadn't heard about the DLX at that point and my husband had already purchased a Bosch (for Christmas - wow!) However, when checking out something regarding the Bosch on a Fresh Loaf board, we found out about the DLX/Assistent. I thought, "Uh, oh, is there something better?" (We hadn't opened or used the Bosch yet.) I also read the Bread for Life article (plus a kazillion other articles/message posts, etc., etc.) and went back and forth probably a dozen times.

As is obvious from my original reply, we kept the Bosch, and it's done a great job for us so far (once we got past a belt issue it came with, promptly fixed by L'Equip's very responsive customer service team).

Bdatxmama, Pleasant Hill is great. You might also want to check out www.MountainTopsMilling, which also carries both mixers. They have an amazing return policy, and seem very knowlegeable and gracious. Check out the "our guarantee" link on the top right of their home page. (I have no affiliation with either company.)

I didn't even know that there weredifferent models! So much for all the research I thought I did! It seems that all the info I researched was for the n28, so me thinks you would be fine with that. Unles you are someone who needs to have the newest of everything (I might suffer a little with that disease). Happy choosing!

I've owned Bosch since the seventies, and DLX since the early nineties. Both are great, but they're very different. If I could only have one, I'd get the Bosch-unless I were only going to do bread. Then it might be different. As a cake/cookie/everything else mixer, the Bosch is more convenient, though the DLX is certainly capable. Both mixers will give great results to those willing to learn their particular charms.

Thank you all for your help and comments on my original message bosch vs dlx dated 7th February, 2012. I am now a new owner of the DLX (new name Verona Assistent). Thanks again for all your information on both mixers!!!!!

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